Opinion

Thoughts from the Georgetown community.

Editorials

City leaders disappoint on ethics reform

In recent months, D.C.’s government has come under fire for corruption and shady relationships with lobbyists. Now, more than ever, the D.C. City Council needs ethics reform.

By the September 29, 2011

Editorials

Davis died unjustly, but hopefully not in vain

On Sept. 21, Troy Davis was executed at a Georgia state prison after 20 years on death row. His case received minimal press attention for two decades until the week before his execution date, when an impassioned effort to save his life began across the world. The use of the death penalty in a case with “too much doubt,” as Davis’s supporters chanted outside the prison, sparked outrage as petitioners critiqued Georgia’s insouciant decision to kill a man who was never proven irrefutably guilty.

By the September 29, 2011

Voices

Georgetown and the CCP: an exclusive relationship

Let me say from the start that I have nothing at all against dialogue. However, when dealing with an authoritarian regime like the Chinese Communist Party, there seems to be a fine line between an open exchange of ideas and an approach to engagement that is more permissive than it is persuasive.

By September 29, 2011

Editorials

Fairfax County deer culling is good for all

Last week, deer hunting season officially commenced in Fairfax County. This year, the county’s government has allowed bow hunters to hunt deer in the county’s 18 parks as part of an effort to combat dangerous and ecologically harmful deer overpopulation in the area

By the September 29, 2011

Voices

Candidates full of hot air and not running out of steam

While watching a recent Republican Presidential debate, I was puzzled by the reaction to Rick Perry’s signing an order that required mandatory vaccination against human papillomavirus for sixth grade girls in Texas—an uncharacteristic move for a staunch social conservative like Perry.

By September 29, 2011

Voices

Smithsonian 9/11 exhibit captures a moment in time

Partially overlooked in the glut of media coverage of the tenth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks were two exhibits here in Washington which used artifacts from the three attacks. For just nine days leading upto September 11, the Smithsonian Museum of American History displayed a small collection of visceral reminders of 9/11 that gave viewers an intimate sense of what exactly happened to victims that day.

By September 29, 2011

Voices

Qwikster off to a slow start

Last week I got an email from Reed Hastings, co-founder and CEO of Netflix, that began, “Dear Emma, I messed up. I owe you an explanation.” Well thanks, Mr. Hastings, but … excuse me? I do have a Netflix account, but the letter seemed a little more personal than anything I usually hear from heads of major companies.

By September 29, 2011

Voices

Waking up to the harsh reality of public education

Last year, my mother retired from teaching after 35 years of dedicated service. At her retirement party, I was unable to count the number of former students in attendance. A number of them gave speeches praising her for her talent and her ability to inspire. Now lawyers, doctors, authors, dancers, and musicians, they all recognized her enthusiasm and dedication as the catalyst for their intellectual growth and success.

By September 22, 2011

Voices

This is just the same old story: another Hollywood remake

A few months ago, I found myself tossing back my usual concoction of Sour Patch Kids and popcorn at the K Street Theater while watching the previews before No Strings Attached. The previews, in line with the coming movie, consisted of much of the same repetitive rom-com themes that every girl occasionally indulges. When the preview for Friends with Benefits came on, however, I did a double take—wasn’t that the exact same movie I came to see?

By September 22, 2011

Voices

Injury drives student skeptic to peace of mind at Down Dog

If you live in West Georgetown, chances are that sometime during the day you’ve noticed any number of well-toned young women clad in yoga pants and toting a tightly rolled mat, trooping off to some hidden fountain of youth. It’s a mesmerizing migration, and one that until fairly recently I’d thought to be off limits to the general population. Their destination, Down Dog Yoga —located behind Dean and Deluca off of M street—has in recent years become a staple for both aspiring and established Georgetown yogis.

By September 22, 2011

Voices

Fighting Irish take on Vatican

Studying Irish history is a lot like watching Rocky. As with every Irish hero, Rocky is an underdog with a lot of heart, a lot of will, and an incredible ability to accept a beating. And like every Irish hero, Rocky loses. Unlike Rocky, however, the Irish continue well past six fights. Ireland’s history is marked by rebellion after rebellion. The legacy of the bloodshed and failed freedom fighters belie, by stereotype and by my experience, the true nature of the Irish people: boisterous, but ultimately passive and habitually willing to submit to (Catholic) authority.

By the September 22, 2011

Editorials

Economic woes require immediate action

On Monday, Northeastern University’s Center for Labor Market Studies released a report revealing that more than one in three young families with children were living in poverty in 2010. The analysis was based on U.S. Census data made available on September 13, which showed that more Americans are living in poverty than at any point since 1959. These numbers are shocking, but elected officials in Washington, especially Republican leaders, have decided that the best thing they can do is nothing at all. Inaction might be shrewd political calculus, but it is terrible economic policy.

By the September 22, 2011

Editorials

Politicization of the HPV vaccine disconcerts

A surprising point of contention during the Republican presidential debate last week was an executive order that Texas Governor Rick Perry passed in 2007 mandating that girls in the sixth grade in Texas receive an inoculation against human papilloma virus. After the signing of the executive order, which the Texas legislature later overturned, it came to light that Merck & Co., the manufacturer of the HPV vaccine, donated $5,000 to Perry’s 2006 gubernatorial re-election campaign.

By the September 22, 2011

Editorials

Georgetown has a Big decision to make

Over the weekend, news broke that Syracuse and Pittsburgh have decided to leave the Big East Conference for the Atlantic Coast Conference. With some predicting that the defections will prompt the Big East’s remaining members to strengthen the conference and others already preparing to write the league’s eulogy, Georgetown must be proactive in the coming days and months to protect the school’s athletic programs and ensure that they have a place to compete at a high level.

By the September 21, 2011

Editorials

Concerns unaddressed in China relationships

The brawl that marred the Georgetown men’s basketball team’s friendly game with the Chinese Basketball Association’s Bayi Rockets drew headlines across the world. But the trip was only the latest... Read more

By the September 15, 2011

Voices

Aramark panel brings Jesuit values back to the table

“Organizing has opened my eyes, has opened my kids’ eyes...to caring about people who don’t look like you,” Leo J. O’Donovan Dining Hall worker Tarshea Smith said, holding back tears. Smith, speaking at a celebratory panel discussion Tuesday about Aramark workers’ unionization victory last spring, expressed how the union and student organizers have affected her life and the lives of her two young sons. The audience, comprising students, workers, faculty, and Georgetown community members, was held rapt by her story and the stories of other workers who spoke at the gathering.

By September 15, 2011

Voices

For student, juggling is more than just clowning around

When I go to Yates, you typically won’t find me on the track, treadmills, bikes, or even pumping some iron. No, you will usually find me in one of the racquetball or squash courts—despite the fact that I don’t play either sport. You’ll see me throwing up circular discs continuously into the air, only to catch them and throw them right back up. You will see me juggling, and those rings are just one of the props you can find in my ragged and torn juggling bag.

By September 15, 2011

Voices

Human trafficking jams America’s founding principles

In the summer of 2009, I traveled with my family to the crown jewel of Arab entrepreneurship and advancement, the metropolitan emirate of Dubai. Known for the sudden and explosive expansion of its tourism industry, Dubai has established itself as a prime vacation spot for world travelers within the last couple of decades. As a tourist myself, I was held in rapture by its glittering architecture and record-breaking monuments. The lure of the city veiled my eyes from the corruption of its creation, itself an expression of the failure of humanity to recognize and support the rights of its members.

By September 15, 2011

Voices

Fundamentalist fundamentals

Michelle Bachmann. Republican presidential hopeful. Representative of Minnesota’s 6th congressional district. Federal tax lawyer. Mother to 28 children, five of her own and 23 through the foster-care system. And—most importantly—evangelical Christian. The term makes even the mildest liberal cringe in disdain. Critics of Bachmann and the entire Tea Party movement see evangelicals as bigoted, racist, homophobic, and xenophobic radicals who have hijacked America and seek to limit our freedoms and propagate hate. Growing up in an evangelical household, I can say that this hardly represents the majority of evangelicals.

By September 15, 2011

Editorials

‘Skins owner Snyder drops farcical lawsuit

In February, Washington Redskins owner Dan Snyder filed a lawsuit against sportswriter Dave McKenna and the Washington City Paper for an article titled “The Cranky Redskin’s Guide to Dan Snyder,”... Read more

By the September 14, 2011